The present invention relates to a motor-driven compressor and a hermetic sealing inspection method for the same.
Japanese Utility Model Application Registration No. 3065777 discloses a device for inspecting whether or not a specimen is hermetically sealed.
A motor-driven compressor includes a housing, an inverter chamber formed in the housing and an inverter as an electric component accommodated in the inverter chamber. The hermetic sealing inspection for the inverter chamber is conducted for preventing moisture, dust and the like from entering into the inverter chamber. The hermetic sealing inspection is conducted through the use of a power supply cable (a high-tension cable) that extends from the inverter to the outside of the housing. In other words, air in the inverter chamber is drawn from a connector of the power supply cable through an internal space thereof, so that the inverter chamber is evacuated. Whether or not the inverter chamber is hermetically sealed is determined from the vacuum state holding time.
However, the length of the power supply cable of the motor-driven compressor depends on an apparatus on which the motor-driven compressor is mounted and also a demand from a customer of the motor-driven compressor, so that there are some cases in which the power supply cable of the motor-driven compressor is long. When the inverter chamber is evacuated through the long power supply cable having a small internal space thereof, it takes a long time until the inverter chamber is evacuated. Consequently, it results in an increase in time required for inspecting whether or not the inverter chamber is hermetically sealed. Therefore, it causes a decrease in productivity of the motor-driven compressor.
The present invention is directed to providing a motor-driven compressor and a hermetic sealing inspection method for the same which can reduce the time required for the hermetic sealing inspection.